The present invention relates to a device for cooling the head, the trunk, etc., of a person by utilizing an endothermic effect upon vaporization of water, and particularly to a cooling pillow for ensuring a comfortable sleep in a hot and hard-to-sleep night, a cooling garment for allowing one to be comfortable even in a high temperature environment, and a cooling helmet which can be used as a safety helmet or a motorcycle helmet.
In a hard-to-sleep summer night or when one has a fever from a cold, a water pillow is used as a means for cooling the head. Ice is sometimes put into a water pillow in addition to water in order to lower the temperature of the water therein so that the water pillow can be used over a long period of time.
When ice is put into a common water pillow, it feels very cool in the beginning, but the temperature gradually increases and the cooling capability decreases. When the temperature of the water therein is about 25xc2x0 C., it is likely that because it was initially very cool, the user no longer feels the coolness even though it actually still has some cooling effect. Therefore, if one uses a water pillow for the purpose of having a good sleep in a hot midsummer night, it is necessary to frequently change the water or ice therein, which rather disturbs a good sleep.
Water pillows and other types of commercially available cooling pillows for which the coolant therein needs to be frozen in a freezer require preparation in one form or another prior to use.
Moreover, as a measure against heat while one sleeps, it is possible to cool the entire room by using an air conditioner. However, with an air conditioner, the room air and the wall and furniture that are in contact with the air are inevitably cooled, thereby resulting in an increased waste of energy. Moreover, if the economic development of the developing countries continues and the diffusion rate of air conditioners in the developing countries becomes as high as that in the developed countries in the future, the amount of carbon dioxide discharged may then dramatically increase, thereby presenting a significant cause of the global warming.
Under the current circumstances where the global warming has become problematic and it is desired to reduce the use of fossil fuels, it is needless to say that a device for cooling only the body of a person or a main part of the body is preferred over cooling means whose energy consumption or energy waste is substantial such as an air conditioner. Moreover, an air conditioner is a complicated and expensive device, and it is not a device which can be easily installed in any place. Furthermore, an air conditioner can only be used in a room, but cannot be used outdoor.
In many work places such as construction sites, quarries, heavy machinery manufacturing sites, and the like, it is an obligation to wear a helmet during work in order to ensure safety. Moreover, under the Road Traffic Act, it is an obligation to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle in order to ensure safety.
If one wears a helmet in a hot period in the summer, particularly during work under a burning sun, one feels hot because heat radiation from the head is hindered, and the head becomes humid because of a large amount of perspiration, whereby one feels uncomfortable. If such a condition lasts for some time, it would exhaust one""s stamina, lower one""s concentration, and lower one""s work efficiency. However, even in such situations, in order to preferentially ensure safety, one needs to wear a helmet, and one cannot perform a dangerous operation without wearing a helmet. Also when one rides a motorcycle in a hot period, wearing a helmet may increase the temperature inside the helmet, thereby lowering one""s concentration, and thus significantly increasing the danger.
An object of the present invention which has been made in view of the circumstances as described above is to provide a cooling pillow which is easy to prepare, whose cooling capability lasts for a long time, which does not require a time-consuming operation such as changing the water, and which is effective in a hard-to-sleep summer night or when one has a fever from a cold.
Another object of the present invention which has been made in view of the circumstances as described above is to provide a cooling garment which has a reduced power consumption, allows one to avoid heat with a simple structure, and allows one to be comfortable even in a high temperature environment.
Still another object of the present invention which has been made in view of the circumstances as described above is to provide a cooling helmet capable of eliminating the discomfort caused by the heat from wearing a helmet, preventing exhaustion of stamina, lowering of concentration, and lowering of work efficiency, and increasing the safety during work, etc.
A cooling pillow of the first invention comprises: an air passageway serving as a path of air; and a water holding member provided on the air passageway for holding water with at least one side thereof which is in contact with the passageway being wet, wherein the head which is rested on the water holding member directly or via a thermally conductive member is cooled by a vaporization heat which is absorbed upon vaporization of the water held in the water holding member into the air passing through the air passageway.
Preferably, the cooling pillow further comprises passageway; and a water supply section for continuously supplying water to the water holding member by a water absorbing action of the water holding member.
A cooling garment of the second invention comprises: a garment forming material including an inner cloth on a side in contact with a body and an outer cloth on an outer side of the inner cloth, thereby defining an air passageway therebetween; water supply means for supplying water to the inner cloth of the garment forming material; and air supply means for passing air through the air passageway and discharging the air which has been passed therethrough, wherein a wearer is cooled by utilizing a vaporization heat which is taken away when passing the air through the air passageway to vaporize the water supplied to the inner cloth.
One side of the inner cloth which is in contact with the air passageway is made of a fibrous material so that the water supplied from the water supply means is allowed to permeate across an entire area by a capillary phenomenon thereof, and the air supply means is operated in a direction such as to suck in the air which has flown into the air passageway through an opening which is provided in an end portion of the air passageway.
A cooling helmet of the third invention comprises: an outer shell for protecting the head of a wearer; a water guiding member provided on an inner side of the outer shell to define an air passageway between the water guiding member and the outer shell, for allowing water to permeate into a surface thereof on at least one side thereof which is in contact with the air passageway; water supply means for supplying moisture to the water guiding member; and air supply means for passing outside air through the air passageway, wherein the head of the wearer is cooled by vaporizing the moisture contained in the water guiding member as the air flows through the air passageway.
The water supply means is provided along a lower circumference of the outer shell, and the water guiding member allows the water which is sucked up from the water supply means to permeate into a side thereof which is in contact with the air passageway by a capillary phenomenon.